The present invention relates to a content delivery system which delivers content via a communication network, content reproduction apparatus and content providing server constituting the content delivery system, and computer programs for use in the content delivery system, content reproduction apparatus and content providing server. More particularly, the present invention concerns an improved technique for automatically presenting or delivering various content fitting users' preferences or tastes.
With the recent development of communication networks, such as the Internet, any interested user can readily acquire a desired music piece, desired ringer tone or melody, desired musical score or any other desired music-related content (hereinafter referred to as “music content”), by just connecting his or her user terminal equipped with a communication function (hereinafter referred to as “client” or “client apparatus”), such as a portable communication terminal like a portable phone or PDA (Personal Data (or Digital) Assistance), personal computer terminal or electronic music apparatus, to a communication network. In this way, the user can enjoy the acquired music content by reproducing or visually displaying the content via the client. For example, when a user wants to acquire music content to reproduce a music piece, it is necessary for the user to personally search for the desired music piece from a multiplicity of music pieces scattered in a plurality of content providing servers (hereinafter also referred to simply as “servers”). For such a purpose, it has been possible for the user to find desired music content by sequentially accessing various servers and searching listings of music pieces, supplied by the individual servers, on the basis of information already known to the user, such as the title of the desired music piece, or by receiving a program, including one or more items of music content, delivered from a server so that the user can test-listen, as necessary, to the one or more items of music content supplied as the program by the server (so-called test-listening service). Among examples of content delivery techniques is the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2001-036423.
Such test-listenable music content delivered from a server to a client via a communication network is usually music content predefined as a “program” by an information provider (e.g., content provider, or information delivery service operator). But, it tends to be difficult and laborious or troublesome for the information provider to prepare in advance various programs reflecting different tastes and tendencies of many users. Thus, if a user wants music content fitting his or her taste (also referred to as user-preferred music content) to be delivered, the user has no choice but to search for a particular program, containing user-preferred music content, through his or her labor, which however tends to be very troublesome and time-consuming. Besides, such a program often contains other music content in addition to the one fitting his or her taste. Thus, it has so far been impossible from a user to efficiently acquire music content fitting his or her taste.